TURKISH ARMENIANS TO TALK TO PARLIAMENTARY COMMITTEE ABOUT GENOCIDE ISSUE
ANKARA, APRIL 5, NOYAN TAPAN. Turkish Parliamentary EU Adjustment
Committee will listen today to the views of members of Armenian
community living in Turkey pertaining to allegations of genocide,
“Anatolia” news agency reported. Gunduz Aktan, a retired ambassador,
and Etiyen Mahcupyan and Hrant Dink, members of the Armenian community,
will attend the meeting which will be held in the parliament.
MONUMENT TO THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE BE PLACED IN VARNA
04.04.2005 06:36
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Monument to the Armenian Genocide will be
placed on the one of the squares of Varna, Bulgaria on April 24,
2005 with the help of Hovsepian & Sons. Thanks to the company a
book dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide
was translated into Bulgarian and published as well as a CD with an
Armenian song performed by well-known Bulgarian opera singer Tsvetan
Tsvetkov was released.
Nationalist strain deepens as Turkey leans toward Europe
By Yigal Schleifer
Correspondent of The Christian Science Monitor
April 05, 2005 edition
ISTANBUL – In a country accustomed to political flaps sparked by what
might seem like trivial matters, a recent brouhaha may be the icing on
the cake – literally. During a ceremony in the eastern town of Ezerum
that was hosted by the German ambassador, cakes were decorated as
the flags of Germany and Turkey. But among the guests was the local
chief prosecutor, who warned that cutting into the cake would violate
a law forbidding the desecration of the Turkish flag.
The incident occurred shortly after two boys apparently tried to
set fire to a flag during a Kurdish celebration in Mersin, on the
Mediterranean. Turks responded – egged on by politicians and the
military – by hanging flags en masse. Unions and other organizations
held flagwaving demonstrations and TV stations put a flag in the
corner of the screen.
The military also weighed in, stating that its forces were “ready to
shed their last drop of blood to protect the country and its flag.”
The patriotic outburst was the latest indication of what observers
in Turkey say is a troubling rise in nationalism, one that is linked
to – and could negatively affect – Turkey’s push for European Union
membership. A Dec. 17 EU summit in Brussels set the framework for
talks on Turkish membership, although only after a long period of
negotiations.
“The flag issue is an indication of a new form of politicization [based
on] nationalism, and distrust of a world that many Turks believe is
either rejecting Turkey or openly hostile to it,” says Dogu Ergil,
a political scientist at Ankara University. And in Turkey, he adds,
“It’s very easy to whip up nationalist sentiments.”
Land sales and bestsellers
Recently, a high court overturned a new law allowing for the sale of
land to foreigners after an opposition party asked that it be scrapped
on national-security grounds. In bookshops, Adolf Hitler’s “Mein Kampf”
is currently a bestseller, along with several conspiracy-minded books
that see Turkey under attack by external forces.
Meanwhile, after staying out of civilian affairs in order not to
jeopardize Turkey’s EU bid, the country’s military is again making
its voice heard. A few weeks ago, high-ranking military officials
took part in a commemoration for six policemen killed by the British
in World War I. The ceremony had been moribund since the 1950s.
Suat Kiniklioglu, executive director of the German Marshall Fund’s
Turkey office, says Turks appear to be turning inward.
“The current mood is a reaction to an anxiety felt by some people
that some of the values that are important to us are being sold
out by the EU drive,” he says. “Before Dec. 17, the country’s hopes
and forward-looking vision were behind the EU drive. Now people are
becoming confused. There is a fatigue, and nationalism becomes an
escape route.”
Many Turks appear to believe that the EU discussions will only lead
to a dead end. Meanwhile, there is growing concern that in order to
join the EU, Turkey will have to make one-sided concessions regarding
the divided island of Cyprus, accept the Armenian claims of genocide
by the Ottoman Turks in 1915, and accede to EU pressure on dealing
with its minorities.
“These were things that Turks were accustomed not to address all these
decades. But if you want to be in the EU process, you have to address
these issues,” says political analyst Cengiz Candar. “It seems like
it’s very painful for Turks to redefine their identity according to
EU norms.”
Stalled reforms
The growing nationalism comes at a time when Turkey’s government,
led by the Justice and Development Party (AKP), is beset by internal
problems that appear to be stalling its reform drive.
The AKP government has yet to appoint a chief negotiator for its talks
with the European Union, while more than a dozen parliamentarians
and one cabinet member have recently resigned from the party.
An EU diplomat in Ankara said the Turkish government has so far been
slow to respond to the resurgent nationalism.
“The lack of leadership by government in the reform-minded, European
direction that we’ve seen previously does raise question marks,”
the diplomat says. “There is a sense in Ankara, and I think also in
Brussels, that this version of Turkish nationalism is incompatible
with the European Union.”
STARTING APRIL 1, BASIC PENSION TO BE INCREASED BY 1,000 DRAMS
YEREVAN, APRIL 1, NOYAN TAPAN. At the March 31 sitting, the RA
government made a decision to increase the basic pension, which makes
3,000 darms, by 1.000 drams (2.1 USD) starting April 1. The RA
Minister of Social Insurance Aghvan Vardanian told reporters following
the sitting that the basic pension has not been increased for several
years. He indicated that at the same time the payments for each year
of the length of service have been increased several times. According
to A. Vardanian, the transfer of the function of social payments
collection from the RA Social Insurance Fund to the State Tax Service
has produced a positive result, also enabling the government to
envisage regular increases in pensions. On the first quarter of 2004,
9.5 bln drams was collected, whereas in the same period of 2005, the
collection made 12.8 bln drams. The minister said it is planned to
collect 5.3 bln drams in April and to increase the monthly collection
to 5.7 bln drams by the end of the year. A. Vardanian noted if this
trend towards the social payment collection increase continues, it is
not ruled out that in the summer, the government may consider the
issue of raising payments for each year of the length of service. The
minister said that 2 mln 200 thousand citizens or 99% have received
the social cards. Among 4.5-5 thousand citizens who have not yet
received the cards, 3 thousand belong to various sects. A. Vardanian
assured that within the next two months, the system will start
functioning efficiently, and the citizens will no longer be required
to to present unnecessary certificates.
OSCE chief, Azeri leaders discuss Karabakh, parliamentary polls
Space TV, Baku
2 Apr 05
[Presenter] Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and Speaker Murtuz
Alasgarov have met the OSCE chairman-in-office, Dimitrij Rupel, who is
visiting Azerbaijan. Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and the head
of the Azerbaijani community of Karabakh, Nizami Bahmanov, also had a
meeting with Rupel this morning.
[Correspondent over video of a news conference] Following the meeting,
Elmar Mammadyarov and Dimitrij Rupel held a briefing. The Slovenian
guest said that although the visit was short, the talks touched on the
main issues.
[Rupel speaking with Azeri voice-over] Our main goal is to cooperate
with each other peacefully. The main issues discussed at the meeting
with Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov were the settlement of the
Karabakh conflict and parliamentary elections to be held in autumn.
The negotiations should be continued to settle the conflict peacefully.
I have heard some interesting things here, which could help us with
the peaceful settlement of the conflict.
[Correspondent] Asked by journalists whether he said that Nagornyy
Karabakh was a disputed territory between Azerbaijan and Armenia,
Rupel declined to give a precise answer, neither confirming nor
denying it.
As for the fact that the Armenian community of Karabakh is not taking
part in the talks, Rupel said that he had already met both the
Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Karabakh. Quote, we should
listen to various views and opinions. But we cannot change the format
of the peace process, end quote.
Mr Rupel also talked about the parliamentary elections to be held in
autumn. Quote, we should make sure that transparency and democracy are
observed in the elections. It is interesting that there are powerful
authorities and weak opposition in the country. But despite this, we
do not support any side unilaterally. We are trying to help, end
quote.
After this, the OSCE chairman-in office said that while in Armenia, he
discussed the handover of the three soldiers of our national army
taken captive by the Armenian side. He said that the Armenian
authorities promised to return them within a short period of time. But
Rupel could not say the exact time of the handover.
As for the truce violations on the front line, Mr Rupel said that this
situation was due to the lengthy peace process. This is connected with
the peace process. If the negotiating process does yield any results,
this might lead to more incidents. That’s why, meetings to achieve
peace should be continued, end quote.
Asif Aliyev, Rovsan Valiyev, Space.
Peace talks will cease if ‘Prague meetings’ fruitless – President
Nation
30 March 05
Peace talks with Armenia will be halted if the Prague process yields
no results, President Ilham Aliyev told the third congress of the
ruling New Azerbaijan Party on Saturday. “If the Prague talks turn out
fruitless, we will face a different situation. There will be no longer
any need for negotiations and Azerbaijan will have to make major
changes to its strategy and political approaches.”
Aliyev said that international legal norms, economic and military
potential and justice are in favour of Azerbaijan. The Azeri people
will never accept losing their native land and will liberate the
territories by all means, hesaid.
The President noted that the tendencies observed in the talks are also
in favour of Azerbaijan.
Armenia’s non-constructive position is impeding the conflict
resolution, he added.
The Armenian government says the resumption of hostilities is not
likely.
“The chances for resuming the Armenia-Azerbaijan war are slim. Yerevan
has no plans to resume military action”, says Armenian Prime Minister
Andranik Margarian.
Margarian said Armenia does not recognize the independence of the
“Upper Garabagh Republic” to avoid negatively affecting the ongoing
talks.
The Armenian official said Armenia disburses loans to the separatist
regime to ensure acceptable social conditions for the population in
Garabagh.
Allocation of loans is legalized by the Armenian government, which
means that Armenia de-facto recognizes the independence of Upper
Garabagh.
The Armenian President’s national security adviser Garnik Isagulian
told Interfax news agency that the positions of Armenia and Azerbaijan
on the Upper Garabagh conflict have not drawn closer thus far and
major results should not be expected in this area soon. Azerbaijan
sees the conflict resolution within its territorial integrity, while
Armenia insists on Upper Garabagh’s gaining independence, he said.
“The truce agreement was signed by three parties: Azerbaijan, Garabagh
and Armenia, with the latter signing the document as a guarantor of
Garabagh’s security”, the Armenian official added.
The next meeting of the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers
within the “Prague talks” on the conflict settlement, which started in
2004, is scheduled for mid – April.
Turkish Press
March 30 2005
Press Scan
HERE IS DOCUMENT OF ARMENIAN CONFESSION
TURKIYE- Armenian Dashnak Party said, ”we formed gangs after the
Russians came, and we massacred 30,000 Turks in (eastern city of)
Van.” Here are some highlights of the report submitted by this party
to the Socialist International: ”We tried to kill Sultan Abdulhamid
II on June 8th, 1905. 40 people died but we could not reach him. We
killed Van Governor as a retaliation. We achieved to gather the
Armenians in all villages under a single flag. We formed gangs in
villages of Bitlis and Van. The Armenians rebelled after the Russians
attacked on Van in 1915. Our rebellion reached its peak in April. We
killed 30,000 Muslims in Van in a few days. Russian Czar Nikolai II
sent us a ‘thank you’ message.”
ITAR-TASS News Agency
TASS
March 29, 2005 Tuesday 9:02 AM Eastern Time
Armenia should join Europe without conflicts – speaker
By Tigran Liloyan
YEREVAN
Armenian parliament speaker Artur Bagdasaryan said the country
“should join the family of European states without conflicts.” He
made the statement as he opened a parliamentary hearing on Tuesday
over the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
“The Karabakh conflict should be settled on the basis of mutual
compromises, the safety of Nagorno Karabakh being the main issue,”
Bagdasaryan said.
The problem should have such a solution as to ensure dignity of our
people and free self-determination of Karabakh residents on the basis
of the principles of international law,” the speaker said underlining
that political speculations in this issue will avail nothing.
Taking part in the hearing was Armenian Foreign Minister Vartan
Oskanyan who said there can be no military solution of the Nagorno
Karabakh problem.
“The Karabakh conflict cannot be settled under coercion, by a third
state or by adopting a document by an international organization,”
Oskanyan emphasized.
Armenia’s main approach envisions the right for Karabakh Armenians
for self-determination and its international acknowledgement, the
minister noted.
A settlement – including the elimination of consequences of military
actions, i.e. the liberation of the occupied territories – is only
possible if Azerbaijan recognizes this right which then should be
officially committed to record.
A new meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan –
Robert Kocharyan and Ilkham Aliyev – will take place in May,
according to the minister.
Unsilencing the Past: A book on Turkish-Armenian reconciliation efforts
Turkish Daily News
March 28 2005
Monday, March 28, 2005
Book Review
ANKARA – Turkish Daily News
Unsilencing the Past: Track Two Diplomacy and Turkish-Armenian
Reconciliation by David L. Phillips (Berghahn Books, New York/Oxford)
describes efforts to promote contact, dialogue, and cooperation
between Turks and Armenians. Established in 2001, the
Turkish-Armenian Reconciliation Commission (TARC) broke a taboo about
Armenian issues in Turkey and spawned many civil society projects
involving business leaders, women’s associations, youth groups,
cultural activities, parliamentarians, and local government
officials.
Track two diplomacy brings together non-governmental
representatives to develop ideas informing official diplomacy and
building grass-roots support for policy initiatives. The goal is to
creatively explore the underlying conditions that give rise to
conflict and develop joint strategies for addressing shared problems
through reciprocal efforts. As a result, conflict comes to be seen as
a shared problem requiring cooperation of both sides. Track Two is
not a substitute for official diplomatic efforts. However, its
flexibility helps compensate for the inherent constraints on
officials.
According to Phillips, TARC’s primary goal was to open the border
between Turkey and Armenia as a first step towards establishing
diplomatic relations between the two countries. The initiative faced
serious problems.
Before TARC was established, Turkish-Armenian relations were marred
by deep distrust, a closed border and dramatically different
perceptions of history. Phillips explains that Armenians and many
international historians describe pogroms in the late 19th century
that killed one quarter million ethnic Armenians in eastern Anatolia.
On April 24, 1915, 800 Armenian community leaders were executed and
the subsequent deportation of Armenians resulted in massive
sufferings by Armenians (1915-23). Many Turks emphasize the war
context in which the events occurred. The deportation of Armenians
was in response to security concerns arising from the rebellion of
Armenians during which hundreds of thousands of Turks died in the
Caucasus as well as the Balkans and the Black Sea region. Turkey
rejects use of the term genocide and resents efforts by Armenians to
gain international recognition. Reconciliation is further complicated
by Armenian Diaspora politics and the occupation of Azeri territories
by Armenians.
Unsilencing the Past describes in vivid detail the exchange of
views between Turks and Armenians. It brings the reader behind the
scenes giving a glimpse of the difficult and sometimes acrimonious
discussions. The genocide issue cast a long shadow over TARC’s
efforts.
To address this problem, Turks and Armenians jointly agreed to seek
a non-binding legal opinion facilitated by the well-respected
International Center for Transitional Justice on the ~Sapplicability
of the Genocide Convention to events in the early Twentieth Century.~T
To the satisfaction of the Turks, the analysis concluded: ~SThe
Genocide Convention contains no provisions mandating its retroactive
application. Therefore, no legal, financial or territorial claim
arising out of the events could successfully be made against any
individual or state under the Convention.~T It also examined the
definition of genocide in international law and found that (i) one or
more persons were killed, (ii) such persons belonged to a particular
ethnic, racial, or religious group, (iii) the action took place as
part of a pattern of conduct against the group, and, (iv) no matter
how many Armenians died, at least some of the Ottoman rulers knew
that the consequence of the deportation orders would result in many
deaths. To the satisfaction of Armenians, it concluded that the
events include all the elements of the crime of genocide.
Though the legal analysis offered something to both sides, Phillips
acknowledges that it did little to advance the practical goal of
opening the Turkish-Armenian border. In this regard, he is critical
of the Armenian government for failing to clearly state that it has
no claim on Turkey’s territory. He criticizes the Turkish government
for not acting in its own national interest to open the border, which
would have a huge economic impact on the Turkish provinces bordering
Armenia while reducing the transportation cost of Turkish goods to
Central Asia and beyond. He is also critical of the Bush
administration for shifting its priorities and neglecting
Turkish-Armenian issues after September 11 and with the Iraq War.
In conclusion, Phillips asks ~SWas the effort worthwhile?~T He
laments that TARC’s goals were not met. He notes, however, that TARC
did succeed in establishing a structured dialogue and opening the
door for civil society contacts; helping catalyze diplomatic
activity; laying the foundation for addressing the genocide issue;
and bringing a principled treaty based approach to opening the
border. Though TARC was established for one year, it worked for
three. Pointing out that reconciliation is a process not an event,
Phillips concludes optimistically stating his belief that the border
will open someday soon. (Note: The Armenian government has publicly
recognized the 1921 Kars Treaty demarcating today’s border between
Turkey and Armenia.)
Phillips is director of the Program on Conflict Prevention and
Peacebuilding at American University. He is also a visiting scholar
at Harvard University and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign
Relations of New York.
(For more information see ).
The Herald – Everett, Wash. –
Published: Friday, March 25, 2005
Documentary recounts Kasparov-IBM matches
By Robert Horton
Herald Movie Critic
The chess world has always been full of paranoiacs and palace
intrigue, so it should come as no surprise that a new documentary,
“Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine,” would have the trappings of a
thriller: dramatic music, moody lighting, and hints of conspiracies.
Still, it surprised me. This account of the 1996 and 1997 matches
between world chess champion Garry Kasparov and the IBM computer
“Deep Blue” serves up new information for the layperson.
Kasparov won the first match, in ’96. (He got a memorable Pepsi
commercial out of it.) But a year later, in New York, he was beaten
in a six-game series by a new, improved Deep Blue, a devastating loss
that still haunts the once-invincible, now-shaky player.
Although Kasparov won the first game of the ’97 series, he got
pole-axed in the second game, as Deep Blue suddenly began making
intuitive, uncomputer-like moves. Immediately, Kasparov was
suspicious – in the footage of the press conference after the game,
he all but accuses the IBM team of cheating. He never won another
game against the machine.
In new footage of Kasparov wandering around the hotel where the games
were played, he unrolls his theory that Deep Blue may have been aided
by a human element. IBM didn’t allow any access to the rooms that
housed the machine, and denied inspection of the inner workings
behind each chess move.
Filmmaker Vikram Jayanti seems on Kasparov’s side. He weaves in
footage from a 1927 silent film about a famous 19th-century
contraption that purported to be a chess-playing machine (it beat
Napoleon once), although the machine was actually a trick that relied
on human influence.
Jayanti also points out that IBM had millions, if not billions, to
gain in public relations, as the company had been lagging in the tech
world. Its stock went up 15 percent the day after Deep Blue won.
Oh, and IBM refused a rematch, quickly dismantling the machine. It
sits in a warehouse now, its circuits dreaming of a crack at Bobby
Fischer.
Although it may be in his camp, “Game Over” does a nice job of
capturing Kasparov’s eccentricities. Considered by many to be the
greatest chess player ever, Kasparov first came to fame as the
underdog – young, half-Armenian, half-Jewish – against the poster boy
of Soviet chess, Anatoly Karpov. It was almost impossible not to root
for Kasparov in the 1980s.
When he’s talking about the Deep Blue loss, Kasparov begins talking
about telescopes looking into his hotel room, and he compares IBM
with Enron, implying that crooked corporations will stop at nothing
to win.
He comes off a little cracked, but he’s a champion chess player. He’s
supposed to be goofy. All things said and done, though, at least
Kasparov still has a wicked sense of humor and a passion for the
game, which is more than you can say for a machine.
“Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine” HHH
Thriller: A chess documentary that plays like a conspiracy thriller,
about the 1997 match between champ Garry Kasparov at the IBM computer
Deep Blue, and Kasparov’s suspicious theories about the outcome.
Rated: PG rating is for language.
Now showing: Varsity.
“Game Over: Kasparov and the Machine” HHH
Thriller: A chess documentary that plays like a conspiracy thriller,
about the 1997 match between champ Garry Kasparov at the IBM computer
Deep Blue, and Kasparov’s suspicious theories about the outcome.
Rated: PG rating is for language.
Now showing: Varsity.
The Daily Herald Co.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.